"Pray Always"

"My sons, be not now negligent: for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that ye should minister unto Him, and burn incense." (2 Chronicles 29:11) Hezekiah's charge to the Levites; when he began his reign in Jerusalem; when he was twenty five years of age. I thought this charge best fit the description of what Jesus meant by 'pray always' in Luke 21:36, because there is an obligation that we have, kind of like watchmen, to not only be prepared ourselves, but to serve God in the process. To best understand what it is that I am talking about, we should realize what the word 'pray' means that Jesus is using within the context of His statement. The word used is 'Deomai', which means to be reduced to want; to lack for oneself, to need; to make a request, ask as an inferior of a superior. Coupled together with the word 'always', which is the word 'kairos', meaning season, or opportune time; fit time, proper season; or time appointed. In the Bible that I use, there is a caption right above Luke 21:34 that says, Be Watchful; this is important to us that are living in these last days. Primarily because we are His chosen people, we have an obligation to watch for His return; it is not just out of necessity for ourselves to be ready, but also for the purpose of serving Him; which makes our position as those that stand before God all that more important. If you understand that these are the last days, and you have knowledge of the kind of events which must come to pass, then you must realize that this is the appointed time for prayer; not just a prayer, but prayer that is lifted to God as the incense burnt within the temple: constant, as in ongoing; so that there is always the smell of that incense in the air. Praying every time that there is a mention of one of these events which must come to pass may not be enough; how about praying at every hint of those things which are distractions, and that cause people to take their gaze off of God? This is where Hezekiah had found himself being appointed king: "For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken Him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs. Also they have shut the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel." (2 Chronicles 29:6 & 7)

"Caught Unaware"

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:34-36) Pre; Mid; or Post; what is your flavor? For me, it's to be taken before that great tribulation; however, I do believe that there will be some us here that will go through that terrible ordeal; not willingly, but because that they were caught unaware. We really do not have an excuse to not be ready, except to just not be caring at the time of His coming. That is pretty much what it comes down to: not caring because you are so distracted by the things of this life here on earth. I know this to be so, so you must believe me when I say that this life is a snare to grip your very soul, and we must gather our senses, get on our knees, and pray that we are not distracted; because any one of us, no matter how strong you might think that you are, can become distracted by the things of this world. I know, you are thinking, Not me, I am totally prepared and will not be moved! Well, good for you! Maybe you should be named Peter, if that is already not your name; we can all call you Peter, because you are a rock of a Christian; after all, he was such a great example of saying what he meant and doing what he said; right? I would caution anyone who might think that they are bulletproof, and that they are beyond the point of being caught off guard: do not think that way, because that is right where the enemy wants you to be: self-reliant; not needing God's help to withstand the grip of the enemy. Do you know how a slip-knot works? much the same as a noose. My mom would always say, If you give someone enough rope, they will hang them self. That is pretty much the meaning of the word 'snare' that Jesus uses in the passage above; we can find ourselves being strung along by the cares of this world, not really knowing just how far we have drifted away from being fully reliant upon God for His protection. All the while, we have thought that we are still attached to Him by this rope we have fastened between us and Him; until, all of the sudden, snap! That rope which we have fastened has become a noose around our necks; working like a slip-knot that uses the force of our own weight to tighten more around our neck. And there is only one way to escape that kind of entanglement; which is to cry out for God to lift you up and to remove the rope. However; that will not be the case at the time of His coming; there will be no time for asking God to intervene in the removal of your snare that you have gotten yourself into. Only a stool shall be placed below your feet, that another may kick it out during the tribulation...

"Global Warning"

Here is how I see it: Al and Harold are both wrong! Jesus said we would not know the day nor the hour of His coming; that pretty much sums up the possibilities of being able to predict the day, let alone the hour also. And as far as all this 'Global Warming' stuff that our children are being fed in school, I believe it is a distraction straight from the pit of hell, to take them and us off our guard; to put the focus of what is causing these natural disasters onto something other than the 'End Times'. Because, Jesus also said we would be able to tell the Season of His coming, and if you haven't noticed, lately it is hard to tell when a season starts and ends; which makes predicting the day Winter ends and Spring begins pretty difficult, because here in Shasta Lake, I think we missed Spring this year. Therefore, we still cannot predict the day Jesus will be returning, even after knowing it is the Season of His coming, but we can be assured that His coming is soon. Thinking about this all night and this morning, I could not help but imagine the reason why the earth will react to His coming the way that it does; after all He created the heavens and the earth, why shouldn't they tremble at His coming? This will be no small event, because Jesus also said that if someone tells you He has come, or He is here or over there, don't listen to them, because as the lightning flashing across the sky, so will be the sign of His coming; which basically means that no one will be able to miss it when they are looking for it. However, I do believe that not everyone will see it, because they will not be looking for it; thus the main reason for the devils distraction, to place man's concern on logical answers to the reason for these great changes in our earth's condition. Personally, I think it is the earth's reaction to the soon return of it's Creator; He who commands it's rotation and it's balance. Co2 gases, nor any other thing that man can design will not be able to alter God's plan for the earth; but those that do not believe in God are not looking for the sign of His plan, nor do they believe that there is a plan. How sad is it to think that you are alone on a dying planet? I really feel for our kids in these public schools; between catastrophic disaster and gender identity, they really are getting dragged to hell...

"Keeping It Real" - In Him

In verse 13 of 1 John chapter 2, John uses the word 'Known' for the fathers knowing Him that is from the beginning, and for the little children knowing the Father. What we are talking about here is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! It is all about Relationship!!! The parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25, when Jesus spoke about the unprepared virgins, "I know you not", He was saying that I do not recognize you intuitively. The unprepared virgins were not rejected because they did not have oil in their lamps, but because they were not related to Jesus Christ! Them having the oil for their lamps was just a requirement that they should have prepared for in advance, because they should have known what their Lord required; and they would have known, had they had a relationship established with Him. Thus, these unprepared virgins were referred to by the Lord as 'foolish', which means a person that is morally worthless; much the same as salt that has lost its flavor becomes tasteless. This 'Known' which John uses here is the same word which Jesus used to explain to Peter "What I do (the washing of his feet) you do not know (intuitively because you are not what you will one day be in order to understand the deeper significance of My actions) now, but thou shalt know hereafter (it will be shown to you, it will be explained to you and then you will understand)". This is an acquired knowledge which is more than intuitive, because it has been established through relationship with something; where that from which it has been taught from, has been experienced. Therefore; had the foolish five virgins understood the importance of being prepared for the Bride Groom, then they would have been more careful to keep oil in their lamps; however, they were not in fellowship with Him at the time of His coming, therefore they were caught unaware...

"Keeping It Real" -too

"I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have Known Him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have Known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have Known Him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." (1 John 2:12-14) Can you see a kind of pattern here? First off, God does not change, we do! So, when we are talking about keeping it real, what are we talking about? Well, it's not God, that's for sure! We are the ones that change, from one day to another; sometimes, several times a day; but He never changes. To put it in a little different light, let's just say that our lives here on this earth are less real than the life we have in Christ. Der, what? Okay; for example, everything that you know here on this earth, including your friends and families, everything changes; it gets old; worn out; rotten; dies or is consumed by death or fire; but God does not change, and neither does His Word. The thing which we must come to realize is that the changes which take place in us are not Him changing in us, but Him changing us in Him. Therefore, if anything is not real that has changed in us, it is not of Him, but is rather something that we might have mistaken for Him, which is most likely from the wicked one; meaning that it is not only not real, but it is also not true, because he is the master of deception. However; we that are in the Know, should be able to determine what is real and what is fake; because within us dwells God's Spirit and His Word; which are more real than even the master of deception. Therefore what we must keep real is ourselves...

"Keeping It Real"

"And hereby we do know that we Know Him, if we keep His commandments." (1 John 2:3) Yes, I know, 'Keeping It Real', really, does that try to compare really abiding in Christ to keeping His commandments? Well, let me see...; yes, I do believe that it does! As I said the other day, when we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, He represents Jesus Christ here on this earth; and because He does represent Jesus Christ, we then Know Jesus. And, not only do we know Jesus Christ, but we also have the Holy Spirit within us pleading the cause of Christ to us, constantly. Constantly; really? Well, again, let me see...; yes, He will never leave us or forsake us, so I guess that never might compare to constant! The problem is that the Holy Spirit will not force us to do anything, contrary to what some may think; so it is up to us to continue to yield our mortal bodies to the eternal light that dwells within them; otherwise we can find ourselves not abiding in Christ. That in of itself is a subject that has many different levels of concern, because we are not forsaken, yet we can forsake His voice; which means that we refuse to obey or keep His commandments. That is when we are finding ourselves on ground that sifts below our feet, which is the opposite of Solid Ground; which actually means that the path on which we are on is not the path on which we should remain, because it is faulty and unreal. What the heck are you saying Rich? are we on the path and then not on path? Well, let me see... "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in Him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him." (1 John 2:4 & 5)

"True Light" -3

"He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked." (1 John 2:6) Let me tell you, I really wish I had given this more thought about eight or nine years ago, because I really feel convicted in several areas of my life. One area in particular is my marriage; which I had considered to be one that was strong and Christ centered. However, looking back to some of the fights I would allow to take place between us, I can see now just how outside of Christ they were. Although I do kind of miss the old confrontations, which resulted in a different kind of heartache; unlike the heartache which I now experience, that has no hope in my resolving the matter. Nonetheless, Jesus Christ was not the center of those old confrontations, and He was not because I had not wanted Him to be the center during those moments. So did Jesus step away from our marriage during those times of darkness? No; He has promised to never leave us or forsake us; therefore, it is not He which was not present, but I who had step out of the light and into the darkness; why? Well, why do we do the things we do? Pride, and our desire to protect it. You see, the sickness of pride is not that it can not be quenched, it is that it does not want to be. And as many of us know from experience, arguments between us usually begin small and then escalate to wild proportions; only to be settled once heartache overcomes the pride; but does it ever really get dealt with? Not unless we specifically deal with our pride, will that issue be taken away; not unless we confess that sin, asking God to deal with that darkness within us, can it truly be vanquished from our hearts. Here is the thing about the True Light that shines within us, it is based upon Truth; which means that it is based upon confession and openness to God, which must include our willingness to allow Him to vanquish all the darkness that might lurk within us; even the things that we think we are allowed to keep...

"True Light" -2

"He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in the darkness even until now." (1 John 2:9) No simpler way to put it, really, because if God is all light, then how can we think that we are in fellowship with God while holding onto darkness? There must be a purposed desire in us to let God's light shine through us, and the only thing that brings that desire is the removal of darkness. Going back a few verses to the beginning of chapter 2, we can see what creates this removal of the darkness in our lives, and it's the desire to walk as Jesus walked. John starts out in verse one by saying, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." The thought he is getting across here has to do with the desire to sin not; that there is no desire to sin; however, if we do stumble into sin, we have a substitutionary Advocate who pleads our cause with the Father. It should also be dully noted that if we have the Holy Spirit within us, then He will also plead God's cause with us, which is where the desire not to sin originates. Having said that, I think the reason we can find ourselves sinning against our brother, is because we do not listen to the Holy Spirit who pleads God's cause with us, but instead let pride dictate our actions; which, in case you did not know, is sin. And sin that we commit in ignorance and in a moment of passion is sin that we so rarely completely deal with, because the root of that sin stems from pride we have within us that must be dealt with completely; otherwise we will just do it again to someone else, or to that same brother, but twofold...

"True Light"

"Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the True Light now shineth." (1 John 2:8) As I was pondering the idea that love in us must be unfiltered, it came to me that God's love for us is not, because He filters out all of our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ. We on the other hand are not capable of doing that, because we do not have that capacity within us; therefore, our only hope in being able to achieve unconditional love towards one another is to let God's light vanquish the darkness that comes between us. There is a real difference between light that is reflected and light that is true; because light which is reflected does not actually come from within, but is superficial, deceitful and false. Okay, I think you are wondering what I am talking about; yes? Maybe I need a whiteboard like Karl Rove so I can draw out the difference? but that would not work, because the only way to really see and understand is for the darkness to be removed, then the true light becomes apparent. In other words; we can not say the we are in the light if we have hate in our hearts towards our brothers and sisters; and if we are assuming that we are in the light, we are just receiving reflected light from association with the church, but not from fellowship with God. Which is why the light which we might have is not from within us, but has it's origin from without, and is not really a light which we possess. As we look closely to what John is saying in this amazing Book, we can see a certain pattern of thought which he is trying to express; one that is rooted in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and can only be acknowledged by those whom share in that fellowship. That might sound a little limited, right? However, John tries to expand that limitation repeatedly by giving the reader an opportunity to accept God's offer of forgiveness, and to be vanquished of the darkness, so that they might possess the True Light...

"God is Light"

"This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5) God does not hurt us; God does not cause us pain; God is not out to pay us back for our mistakes. Do you get the picture? God is Light, and in Him there is nothing which is associated with unhappiness or ruin; as Light is not only the emblem of happiness but is also itself beneficial, darkness in like manner works unhappiness and death. So it is safe to say that the darkness John is referring to is not just a figurative term for sin, but also for the consequences of sin. Which means that it is not God who caused the hurt, but sin, and all that sin has ruined. Therefore, if we want to hold something accountable for the hurt in our life, then that which we must hold accountable is sin! But God, He is all Light, and He deserves our love, full on, and with no restrictions; which means that we do not doubt Him. Am I saying that love is associated with trust? I believe I am; yes indeed I am! We can not love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength without first trusting Him 100% with all that we are. Okay, so what about loving our brothers and sisters? Does the same apply to the love we have for them? Yes and no; because we are fallible, but God is not. However, the love which we have for our brothers and sisters is based upon the love which we have for God; meaning that all of our trust is placed in God, including the trust that is required towards them. In other words, we have all of our faith vested in God's ability to protect and keep us safe, even from those which might in ignorance mean to hurt us; therefore we are free to love them unconditionally because we trust God will provide for our protection, and we will not be vulnerable for abuse or have our love taken advantage of. So, the unconditional love that we have towards those that we might not otherwise trust completely, is based upon the complete trust that we have in God, because God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all...

"Slightly Will Not Work"

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27) Spoken by the True Prince of Peace! Peace which comes from the absence of hurt and a satisfied condition; unharmed by the temporary mortal conflicts of this life. Never mind about the sin which we might feel justified in holding onto, there is another plateau that must be considered, and it has to do with trust. Do I fully trust God in all areas of my life? This my dear brothers and sisters is where real peace is developed! And in case you may not understand what the word developed means, it means to grow; advance; render an image visible; to show step by step; disclose gradually or in detail. We can not fully trust in God if our heart is afraid or troubled, because there will be a hesitation in our spirit; and when I say spirit, I do not mean the Holy Spirit, but our rational spirit; that which we have developed into from years of experience of living. That might sound all mystical and kind of out there, but we tend to rely on our past experiences more than we should. When Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled", He is speaking about doubt, which is brought about by questioning God. Do you question God? I think we all do at one time or another. But when it becomes dangerous for our walk, is when we do not accept His answer, or trust that He knows what is the very best for our eternal soul. Besides, what have we been talking about, or have you forgotten? I have that Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy, down in my heart; down in my heart; down in my heart! Down in my heart TODAY!!!

"Digging Deep"

"For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord." (Jeremiah 6:13-15) Okay, this might hurt a little, but sometimes the hurt which we might harbor in our hearts is towards God. No way! How can we have hurt in our hearts towards God? Unanswered prayers, loved ones taken from us, trials that seem overwhelming, all of these and more could cause us to hurt in our hearts because we did not feel well treated. The problem that can come from that might not seem so critical at first, but given time, it can become detrimental to our relationship with God. Why do you think that is? or could it even really happen? Well (another deep subject), let me tell you what I have discovered by looking deep within myself: by my holding hurt in my heart which I feel is rightly mine to have due to the pain which I have had to endure, I can have the illusion of being owed something for that hurt. Can you see where this might lead us? In order to love God with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength, I must first be able to relinquish all, and I mean ALL the hurt which I might harbor in my heart. Is He God? Doesn't He love me? Isn't everything that He allows me to go through for the GOOD??? Then from where does the hurt come? Maybe the problem could be rooted in thinking we know best what is good and what is bad; you think?

"True Confession" -3

"If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:10) We know that God's rights have been trespassed when we sin, because it is by His very word that He has established all boundaries of what is right and wrong. And yet, people go on each and every day setting their own boundaries as to what is lawful and what is not. Where we get into trouble is when the boundaries we set cross over into those of others, especially those that are set by God. Okay, so what about when others cross our boundaries? Then what are we to do, push back? I know; we are within our rights to rip them up one side and another, until they repent for trespassing against us; right? Is that what you want God to do to you when you sin against Him? If we look at 'The Lord's Prayer', we can see that Jesus was showing an example of this type of forgiveness when He said, "Forgive us of our debts, as we forgive our debtors". Does that mean we are to roll over and let someone take advantage of us? Well (that's a deep subject), but I think we need to look to the Master for His demonstration and His instructions in this matter; or does what He did and say matter at all? Here is the thing that I am saying, which we must take into account while we are asking God to forgive us of our sins, and that is the new law which we are under, which is the law of Love. Now that we have been placed under this new law, we no longer are under the old law which dictates all those things that unlawful for us; but we are now under a new law that is grounded and rooted in Love. Love which has no boundaries; nor does it have conditions which must be met in order that it will be given! Unconditional love is love that is freely given, without expecting or requiring anything in return! So, as we ask forgiveness, hoping to be cleansed from all unrighteousness, we must truly consider Who's rights that we have violated; because this new law that we are under is all about His Love...

"True Confession" -2

I know that there are some questioning my direction in this matter of Jesus and Stephen asking for others to be forgiven, and why this has anything to do with 'True Confession'; am I right? Let me ask you something simple, who's rights are we talking about when we have sinned? Not to be over attached to this example that I have started on, but who's rights have been violated have a lot to do with sin. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:12, "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any". The first thing we must know about the word 'lawful' is that it means that whatever we are doing or partaking in is permitted and right, and when Paul is referring to "all things" he is not speaking about those things which we know to be sin, but those things which are considered to be acceptable and do not trespass against God's Laws. Secondly, the word 'expedient' is referring to things which are profitable or advantageous; in other words, does this bring me closer to God? or does it hinder my relationship with God, or with my brothers and sisters? Paul goes on to use the example of laying with a harlot, not to associate things that are lawful with that example, but to show how ridiculous it is to even consider, knowing that our bodies are members of Christ. So, the point which I am making with the hurt being given over to God, has to do with ownership, and who's we are. For Stephen, he realized who's he was as he gazed up into heaven and saw the glory of God, with Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. Call it love if you will, but one thing is for sure, Stephen felt no hate towards those that were killing him as he asked God to not lay what they were doing against them. Likewise, Jesus was not hating those that had just pounded nails into His hands and feet, and had just planted the cross on which He was nailed into the ground, as He asked the Father to forgive them, for they know not what they do. Finally, and then I will get off this subject, because it's making my head spin; hate is a sin, and it is one which trespasses God's Laws. If we hate someone, we have in our hearts committed murder, which is one of the Ten Commandments: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Not to associate the act of killing with hurt, but I do find it interesting that there is a common thread which weaves through both, and it is called vengeance. I know what you are thinking: Rich your getting way over the top on this one. Maybe your right, and that is why my head is spinning; but, when you really think about it, the reason that we sin against each other so easily, is because we feel that our rights have been trespassed by someone else, and that we must protect our area. But, to Whom do we belong!!!

"True Confession"

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) In order to truly confess our sins to God we must know what our trespass is. This is nothing new, because the 'young rich ruler' which came to Jesus asking how to inherit eternal life, did not know what he lacked until Jesus showed him. Likewise, Isaiah did not see his 'unclean lips' until he was in the presence of a Holy God. To help understand the point that I am trying to make, we should look towards our example, Jesus Christ, and what His reaction was towards them which crucified Him on the cross. In Luke 23:34 we can find what Jesus said to the Father regarding those that had just nailed Him to the cross and planted Him there on Calvary between the two thieves, He said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do". This is not something that is easy to do, although there are many which claim that they have done it; but there is only one other example we find in the New Testament of this kind of charge, and it is involving the killing of Stephen. In Acts 7:54-60, we can find the account of what took place, and in verse 55, Stephen, being filled with the Holy Ghost, looks up into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Then in verse 59 as they begin stoning Stephen, he cries out, still looking at God's glory, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit". And then finally, in verse 60 he makes the same request that Jesus did on the cross: "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge". This is an example of true forgiveness, which requires the one doing the forgiveness to first give up their rights, and to accept whatever is done to them as done in ignorance. In other words, it is to say, Lord, don't hold them accountable for what they have done, because they really don't know what they are doing. This is no little thing we are talking about here, and it requires the person who is performing this action to be in complete submission to God's authority. Think about this for a moment, and see if you get what I am saying; because our tendency in this matter, is to say that we forgive someone, and yet we continue to ask God to hold them accountable for their actions. Maybe not knowingly, but deep down inside, we wish for vengeance to be done on our behalf; why? because we hurt, that's why!

"Fully Exposed"

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:6 & 7) I am not trying to say that people who do not pray for extended periods of time walk in darkness, that is not the point I wish to make; although, there may be something about that concept. What I am saying, is that when we spend enough time praying to the Father, all of our darkness gets fully exposed by His light. However, just so you know, the times that I personally will find myself not committing to my block of time to be in fellowship with the Father, are usually times that I am not really wanting to have something fully exposed. That might sound like someone who is holding onto sin, right? Yes, I think that anything we put between us and our relationship with God is sin; even the stuff we might not agree is sin, like hurt or unforgiveness. As I was saying before, and I will say it again: to be forgiven of all my sin, I must give Him all of it to forgive. If anyone thinks that he is without sin, then they really have not spent enough time in the Light; and if you spend enough time in His light you will find out that hurt is also something which must be given up. I know that I have spoken about this before, but not like this; because in order for me to fully love someone unconditionally, I must not associate that person with hurt. But you say, But I've been hurt, and the pain never goes away. Really? How bad were you hurt? Were you spat upon and beaten? Were you mocked and crucified? Probably not! It is not easy to do, but God can do it; because all things are possible through Him; even stopping the hurt, so that love can be given unfiltered...

"Making It Real"

"This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:4) I really don't know why we can't see how important it is to make time for prayer, after all, it is prayer that really changes things; but I think it might have something to do with light verses darkness. I am not really into vampire movies, but there is something there to relate to what I am saying, and it has to do with the light verses the darkness. If you are familiar with the concept, vampires are creatures of the night because they are destroyed by sunlight. They can withstand small amounts of sunlight, which might make them shriek, but will not do any serious harm; however, left in the light for a certain period of time, and they are done. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to insinuate that those who do not take time to pray dwell in darkness; I am trying to show what happens in the Light. You see; for the times which are given to get alone with God and to sit in His presence, these are times when we can bask in His marvelous Light; and the more we are exposed to His Light, the more our darkness is dealt with. Now then; when it comes to fellowship with God, who is Light, making it real requires some time for that Light to deal with the darkness. Am I saying that we have darkness that must be dealt with? That's an interesting concept!!! "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)

"A Time to Pray"

'Hold me Lord, in Your arms...' You know the song I am thinking of? I heard someone say once, that it did not matter how we prayed to God, but that we just would speak to Him; even little short prayers throughout the day were adequate for fellowship, and would sustain a good relationship with God. That might be true; however, I am thinking that to really have an intimate relationship with the Father, we must make a time to pray; to really spend the time required to hear from Him. I have a really good example of this requirement in my current relationship with my wife, which I do believe that I have shared before, but maybe not like this. Because, if I come in and say hello to her every thirty minutes, kiss her on the check, and then dart back out of the room, the effect upon our relationship is not the same as when I sit or lay with her for hours at a time. Don't get me wrong, she will acknowledge me darting in and out and saying hello, but there is no intimacy established, only acknowledgement of my presence. Here we can see the small example of what it is like for God, as we dart in and out of His presence throughout our busy day, to say hello. God will acknowledge our presence, and He hears our voice, but there is no time required for us to know Him; to really feel the heartbeat of the Father, we must take the time to rest in Him. To really know Him requires us to fellowship with Him: and darting in and out of His presence does not constitute fellowship...

"Checking Myself for Errors"

I have to admit that I was a little upset this morning for this Blog Site being down; let alone that they also deleted my posting from yesterday. What makes it even more aggravating, is that I was trying to see how long I could go without missing a day. Now that I think about it, I was thinking just yesterday about how many days it has been, and when I might be satisfied with a number reached. Could that be compared with King David taking of a census? I might have to pray about this one...

"Fullness of Joy" -3

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life, (for the Life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." (1 John 1:1-4) Having joy is something that requires peace to be present in our lives. We can be happy in the moment of doing something which we like to do, but without peace, that happiness will not last long. When John speaks about having fellowship with the Father and Jesus Christ, he is speaking about sharing in that Life which was manifested; eternal life which we have participation in, and which we have the pledge of communion with. When was the last time that you communed with God? When was the last time that you sat alone with Him for hours at a time, to actually fellowship with Him? Don't you know that real peace comes only from fellowship with the Father? It is because of Jesus Christ that we can have access to the Father; because of the fellowship we have with Jesus, we have access unto the Father, and it is only throw Jesus that we can have this relationship. Having communion with God gives us the peace that can conquer anything; which supplies the joy, deep down in our hearts, which can last through the toughest trial; but it all begins with fellowship with the Father! As a child, carefree, and surrendered to the love of the Father, we have the fullness of joy that comes from resting in His arms of love; but, resting in His arms of love requires that we actually take the time to rest in Them! Make it something that you do as a pledge of communion: that your joy may be full...

"Fullness of Joy" -2

Have you ever heard the saying, Looking beyond the forest to see the trees? That is what is required for real fellowship with God. We need to be able to look beyond all this stuff, and all of our guilt and shame; which requires us to focus on God, and Him alone. In the closing verse from yesterday, which in case you missed it, it was Proverbs 18:2; what the fool has no delight in was understanding, which is wisdom. The reason that this verse was so gripping to me, and the reason that I felt it was relevant was the word 'delight', which is parallel to the word interest; meaning that 'A fool has no interest in wisdom, but is just interested in himself'. Sometimes that can be so true for what holds us back from having real fellowship, because, we can not actually discover all that God is, while we are stuck on stupid. And, as far as that goes, the same works for our relationships with others; including our families, who need us to have an interest in wisdom, so that we may be the 'man of God' we have been created to be. Don't get the connection yet? What does this have to do with 'Fullness of Joy'? It is interesting how much our lack of real fellowship robs us of our joy; maybe not right away, because at that particular time all that really matters is our self, and not the ones we are to be spending time with; but just you wait. These are moments that are never regained, and you relive them over and over! If only I had spent more quality time with my children, my wife, my best friend. This is played out in our hearts and minds for a long, long time; and you can bet that it robs you of your joy and creates a very heavy heart. Going back to 1 John 1:1-4, and the declaration by John in verse 4, "And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full"; what John is declaring by the use of the word 'full' is completeness of joy; that our joy may be complete or made perfect. This is very critical to finding peace, real peace that passes all understanding. You can not have real peace without complete joy, because they go hand in hand together. However, this is the glorious grace that God has given: whereas, because our focus is upon Him and what He has done, and not upon us and what we have done, we can have complete joy in Him; which brings with it, the peace of God, that passes all understanding... Delight in that!!!

"Fullness of Joy"

"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." (1 John 1:3 & 4) There is something about having fellowship that brings a fullness of joy. When was the last time that you actually had real fellowship? Stop; I don't think you know what I mean; because what constitutes real fellowship has to do with not wanting to be somewhere else! It has to do with being where you are, and no where else. Don't pretend you don't know what I am talking about, because I know we all do it. But the fellowship I am talking about involves full participation in what is taking place, and no clock watching, waiting for the time that it is over. For me, this has been something that I have not been able to enjoy as much as I would like; but every once in a while I will have someone watching my wife, so I can go to a Men's Conference or Retreat and actually have some good solid fellowship. But even then, the desire of other things can rob me of the fellowship which is available; things like, Who's winning the Golf Tournament? Seriously, does it really matter to the real meaning of joy? or is it just one more distraction that is placed in the way of fellowship? How about having fellowship with your spouse or children? When was the last time for that? Do you know what I am talking about now? Fellowship that requires your full devotion to their life; as if you were living as part of that life, right in the here and now. I really don't think many of us even know what that means anymore, because we are so wrapped up into our own little worlds, that it is hard to expand our bubble around the ones we should, for fear that our bubble will burst. But guess what; that is what is required for real fellowship to take place: our personal little bubbles must burst! "A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself." (Proverbs 17:2)

"Taking Hold of Life" -3

Finally, I must put this out there, and I hope that it does not ruffle to many feathers; but the real point that I have been making in this, is that to be secure in Christ we must have first grabbed hold of that rope. In other words, sometime during our New Life experience, preferably at the time that we accepted Him into our heart, we must have reached out and taken hold of that rope; knowing in our heart what we are being saved from and who it is that is saving us. Does that mean we are not saved unless we have encountered the metaphorical cliff and rope scenario? Saved from what? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? And if you do, for what cause was that redemption for? The point that I am trying to make has to do with Jesus being the Way, the Truth, and the Life; which, in order to be counted as have received Him, we must first believe these three things: He is the only way that we are saved; without Him saving us we are destined for hell; and through His salvation we have eternal life. These three things are the key points to what being saved should mean to a Believer in Christ; because without any one of these three things we are not secure in our faith. So then, as I was saying, those that say you can not lose your Salvation, are right, provided that you have 'received' it in the first place. And those that say you must show forth fruit of being saved, or faith without works is dead, are also right, because once you have 'received' eternal life in Christ, nothing else will matter. Most importantly, once we have truly taken hold of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, He will never let us go; even if we try to run from Him, for whatever stupid reason that might be, we are secure in Him who has paid the price for our stupidity... "Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are One." (John 10:25-30)

"Taking Hold of Life" -2

In case you were wondering what the word 'immutable' means, and why the writer of Hebrews used it twice in verses 17 & 18 of chapter 6, it means unchangeable. In other words, God counsel or His constitutional will is unchangeable; which is the expression of "the immutability of His counsel" used in verse 17. While the meaning of the "two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie" which is expressed in verse 18, speaks about one being God's promise and the other His oath in regard to the absolute truthfulness of His word. To a greater extent, the point that is being made has to do with trusting God at His word; the which, He has put in greater regard than His very name; which means that His word is more infinite than His name. Combine that with the work Jesus Christ has done to secure our salvation, and you have the substance of our faith; something that is held unto and is immutable. Does that mean it can not be let go of? no, I don't think it does. However, as I have said already, once we have made that choice to grab hold of the rope, He is the one who pulls us to safety; and once we are safe in Him, we will not be able to fall even if we did let go; why? Because He has lassoed us by the rope, which in case you have forgotten, is His Word which has been given to us; which is the strongest rope that there could ever be. So, what do you think happens when we let go? Do we fall over the edge of the cliff? Maybe just a little, yes. Maybe just enough to remind us of the fate we have escaped from; but never enough to be damaged forever; why is that? Because He has promised by His word, that is unchangeable, to never leave us or forsake us; and I think that someone who might forsake Him, does not change His never. Which is the reason for Jesus to be referred to as "the high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek", for it is He who makes intersession for us as our Mediator; entering before us, into the Holiest, that we may also enter in by the sprinkling of His blood. This is our hope that is laid hold of, that we are secure in Him, and that there is nothing, absolutely nothing more secure than His promise... "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:14 & 15)

"Taking Hold of Life"

Now that we are on the subject, I thought would be a good time to talk about what it means to 'take hold' of the Life which God has to offer us. Some may think that it is the other way around, and that it is God who takes hold of us; in a way, that is true, but only in a spiritual sense. This is the making of what faith really means; faith must have substance, which means that there must be something to take hold of for there to be something to have faith in. For example, the rope which I referred to yesterday, which was handed to you as you were falling over the cliff; that rope must be real. As a matter of fact, that cliff must be real also! Which brings me to the point of 'Hell', and whether or not it is real. Do you know that Jesus spoke more of hell than He did of heaven? But people say, How can a loving God send people to hell? See, that's my point; the cliff is real, and He is not pushing us off the cliff, He is the one handing us the rope!!! This was the point Jesus was making to Nicodemus in John 3:14-18, that we are condemned to hell all ready; that the cliff is real, and we are already tipping over the edge, past the point of saving ourselves. So, to understand the importance of that rope which has been given that we may take hold of, we must first understand the danger that we are in. Imagine for a moment, that there was a fluffy pillow or net below you as you were facing the fall down that cliff; that would make the need to take hold of that rope less necessary, wouldn't it? Not only that, but it would make the need to keep holding onto that rope less essential... "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made the High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 6:17-20)

"Fullness of Life"

Here is the point that I was making, and that I believe John was getting across in his summary verses: Jesus Christ was not only God manifested in the flesh, but was the fullness of God's plan to redeem man back to Himself. In other words, He could do no better than He did! In the verse John 1:16, John writes, "And of His fulness have we received", which means plenitude of the divine perfections; this was God's perfect expression of Love towards us, and there was no greater way that it could be expressed. That being said, the reason that there is available unto us the fullness of Life is the word "received", because it is His fullness which not only was given unto us, but also is that which has been made available for us to receive: to take upon us!!! It is one thing to be given the fullness of Life, but it is entirely different to take it upon yourself; which, actually means to seize, or lay hold of, with the idea of force or violence. This is the way that our acceptance of God's mercy and grace must be received; as though our very life was dependent upon it, because it is! As though someone has just thrown you a rope as you were falling over a cliff, and you grab unto it with all your might. When we take a look at what we have been given from this perspective, it makes counting the cost come alive in us; and it puts what we sometimes take for granted in the fullness of light. God has provided Life unto us in and of Himself; what more could He have done? And the very least that we can do, is to receive that Life with astonishment, and grip onto it like it's all that matters, because it does. As a matter of fact, the rest of verse sixteen goes on to say, "and grace for grace", in which the word 'for' actually means 'upon', or most abundant grace, which is given by way of substitution, in place of, or instead of; meaning Life instead of death, but with gratitude!

"Finding Life" -2

"No man hath seen God at any time; the Only Begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." (John 1:18) I can say without a doubt that Jesus Christ is God. To know that He is, was, and always will be Him to whom your life is owed makes the counting the cost thing a little more vital. The verse above is one that is used by many to try and argue the fact that Jesus could not be God, because it plainly says that "no man has seen God at any time"; however, the meaning behind this statement by John is one of figuratively seeing God, and means that know one knows God, is acquainted with Him, or knows His character. And this expression of 'seeing God' is only used in John's writings, and can be found later in John 6:46; 14:7, 9; 15:24; 1 John 3:6; 4:20; 3 John 1:11. Which is quite interesting, since it is John who makes a point of declaring the deity of Jesus Christ throughout all of his writings. With this thought in mind, we must assume that the reason John has chosen to use this figurative meaning, is to express the importance of Jesus Christ being manifested in the flesh, because He was God declared to us in a way that we could comprehend. Why is this critical to finding Life? and does this really matter in the way Life is found? I think that it does. Because of who Jesus is, and was, He not only declared God to us, but was in fact God manifested to us in the form of man; who, for lack of a better word, was dead to God. And because man was dead to God, which was due to sin, God in the form of a man took on the sin of man upon Himself, that man might then have Life in Him. Now then; let me ask you: Do you think it makes a difference in knowing who it was that took on your sins? "John (the Baptist) bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me; for He was before me. And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:15-17)

"Finding Life"

"and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it." (Matthew 16:25b) As I was praying about this passage of Scripture this morning, I was taken captive by this concept of losing my life for Jesus. This concept of "will lose his life" is spoken of rendering it void, or putting it in a place that is deprived of the things that it would otherwise desire. Okay, I know that we are to be living for Jesus, waiting for His soon return, and looking forward to the day that we shall be forever with Him in heaven; but do I have to deprive myself of the things I love to do or have in the process? Interesting concept, to say the least. But the point that I believe Jesus is making by the context of His whole message, is about counting the cost; in other words, making the choice to follow Him being more important than life itself. Remember, Jesus began this message as an answer to the rebuke of Peter, and Peter's choice of things which mattered most: "thou savourest not the things of God, but those that be of men". If the things which I desire are contrary to the will of God, or prevent me from doing God's will; or if they are things which can be offensive to others and might cause someone to stumble; then those are the things which I must deprive myself of. Anything which gets in between me and God is considered to be an offense to God; which is the reason for Jesus to reply the way He did to Peter: "Get behind Me Satan: thou art an offense unto Me". To be an offense unto the Lord requires someone to be contrary to what the Lord is doing or wanting to do in or though our lives; in Peter's case, he was putting his desire for Jesus above that of God's. Jesus was here to do what He had begun to show His disciples; giving detailed descriptions of what should take place, so that they would begin to understand what He was here for. Now then; for us who are His sheep, we are to be yielding our lives in a way that gives Him as the Shepherd full control; which requires the losing of the life that we might otherwise desire in the flesh. In the same way, those that are coming to the Lord, must come to Him with a desire to be changed; and this change that is to happen requires dying to self. Unfortunately, there are those that come to Jesus with another desire that involves a change to their life; something more acceptable to the one they want; and the only dying which is involved in their following of Jesus is His death upon the cross... "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:" (Matthew 16:25a)

"Life Verses Life"

What a strange title you have today Mr. Norrup? Yep, I have to agree with you, if that was your impression. However, there are two very distinctive meanings to the word 'life' that are used in the New Testament writings, with some slight variations. For example, in Matthew 16:24-28, Jesus is speaking to His disciples about something that was brought on by Peter's rebuke to the Lord about Him being killed and being raised again the third day. In verse 23, Jesus answered the rebuke of Peter by saying, "Get thee behind me Satan: thou art an offense unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men". Not to be a stickler for detail, but don't you think that the things which are of God and those that are of men are worlds apart? Let me give you some example of where I am going. I can remember the time when I was behind bars as a child, several different times to be exact; but one thing I remember is praying to God, asking Him to have mercy on me, and giving Him promises that I could not, and did not keep. I can even remember making statements like, Lord I will give you my life; just please get me out of this mess I am in. This being said from a child, not much older than twelve or so of age; but to what prevail? Did my life change once I was taken out of jail? Sadly, no. I have to wonder what life I had been willing to surrender to the Lord, if any. Because, when you truly think about it, the only reason that I was crying out to God, was for the preservation of this life, as I would have it; not for the desire to be given a new life in Him... "Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26)

"Everlasting Life" -2

Besides the life here being minimized by the Life that is to come, there is another reason that we know without a doubt that we have Eternal Life; one which cannot be denied, nor is made in the image of man. This other reason is called the Spirit of God! If the Spirit of God dwells in you, then you are living eternal life; why? because God is Eternal. The Holy Spirit brings with Him the peace that comes with eternity of being in God's light and love; which instantly is made manifested within the heart of a believer. Immediately, we are no longer a stranger to God, and have something that is in common, something called Holiness; which is manifested by two separate sources: one is Jesus Christ, who has made us sinless; while the other is the Holy Spirit, which brings the attributes of God into our very lives. This is no little matter that we are talking about, because not being a stranger to God is more important than you might realize. In the beginning of the Book of John, the first eighteen verses are said to have been added by John to express the context of the whole Book. And then at the end of the Book, John writes in 21:25, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." One of the points which John makes within those first eighteen verses is that the world did not know the One who was the Creator; in verse ten for example, John says, "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not". If you think about it, the only way for a man to receive Jesus Christ into their heart is to know Him. In other words, you cannot take the words of another about who Jesus is, and then, by receiving those words as His manifestation within you, say that you have received Christ into your heart. However, what makes Him to be manifested to us, is when He comes unto us and shows Himself to us; that is when we are made aware of who He is; that is also when you either receive Him or reject Him... "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." (John 1:11 & 12) (Sons are not strangers!!!)

"Everlasting Life"

Might I ask another Question? Well guess what; I just did. No, really, I wanted to ask you if you really know that you have Everlasting Life or not; do you? My answer is, definitely yes! How do we know for sure? because the Life that is living in us, which is eternal, will verify to us that it is so. Throughout the New Testament the word used to express 'eternal life' is the word 'Zoe', which, depending on the context of the verse, will always mean to live in this present tense or the hereafter. What generally sets the meaning of the word, is the few words before or after the word that is used to express 'eternal life'. For example: in John 3:36, the word that establishes the meaning of word 'everlasting life' or 'Zoe' is the word 'hath', which gives this word it's present tense meaning. Couple that with the context of the verse and we can see that the next portion of the sentence says, "he that believeth not the Son shall not see life"; which, if you know what it feels like to experience being free from sin, you can testify that the feeling is something that is not only felt, but is lived out from deep within your very soul. There is no easy way to explain what it feels like to be set free from sin, because only those that have been set free can even begin to comprehend it. The simplest thing that I know to explain this experience and the benefits that are brought with it, would be to go all the way back to my childhood, and think of a time when I did nothing wrong and life was peaceful for a day. I have to go pretty far back, because the older I had gotten, the more I realized that it would not last but a day or so; but the point I was making, is that the closest thing that I could find to express what it feels like is a day of total peace. Now, imagine that day, and stretch it out into eternity; that is the peace that comes to those that have eternal Life. Why is that possible? Because the wrath of God has been removed!!! Couple that with the Life that is given, which is the Life that had been removed from man in the Garden, and you have not only the peace that surpasses all understanding, but you have also the removal of the guilt of sin, which is what caused man to not fellowship with God. It is this guilt that has been removed which causes us to feel comfortable as we fellowship with a Holy God, which we would not be able to do unless we were washed in the blood of Jesus. And because we are able to have this fellowship with God, which is not based upon what we have done, but upon what Jesus has done, we can experience the Everlasting Life that has been given to us now, which is available only in His dwelling place... "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is Life because of righteousness." (Romans 8:8-10)